Saturday, 30 October 2010

I didn't think he wanted me. And I wasn't about to get involved with him, not after what I'd heard. Sure, Alex Kennedy was tall, dark and unbearably hot, but I've been burned before. When I solicited him to model for my erotic photography book, I didn't expect such a heated, passionate photo session. And now that we've crossed that line, our bodies aren't the only things that have been exposed.

But I can't give my heart to a man who's so… unconventional. His last sexual relationship was with a married couple. It's enough that my ex-fiancé preferred men, I can't take that chance again no matter how much my body thrives on Alex's touch. I can't risk it, but I can't resist it, either.

Alex can be very convincing when he wants something.

And he wants me.

One thing I really like about Megan Hart’s books is that they are well written with an actual plot, which is not always the case with erotic fiction. The characters aren’t superficial, they have back histories and well defined personalities. Naked is told from Olivia’s point of view but it is actually part of a series of books about Alex. I haven’t read these other books and certainly didn’t feel like I was missing something by reading them out of order (something I normally hate to do). In fact, I was around half way through before I even knew there were other Alex books.

As an author, Megan Hart doesn’t shy away from controversial topics and this book is no exception. She tackles race, religion and sexuality head on and in a very realistic way.

I really enjoyed reading this book - and not just for the smut lol. A definite must for erotica fans.

Friday, 29 October 2010

Meet Charlotte Williams… Rich, gorgeous, blonde and a talented singer, she has everything going for her. Spoiled and indulged, her life has always revolved around fashion, gossip, partying and men. When Charlotte’s father – her only family since her mother’s tragic death years ago – is arrested on fraud charges, her glittering world shatters around her. Alone and penniless, she must make her own way for the very first time. Harassed by paparazzi and the outraged victims of her father’s crimes, Charlotte flees to New Orleans to escape the scandal. But what happens when a Park Avenue Princess is forced to fend for herself? How will she adapt to the Big Easy’s bohemian lifestyle? And in the face of anonymous death threats, can she keep herself out of danger? From the stylish avenues of Manhattan and dark clubs of the French Quarter to the bright lights of Los Angeles, Nicole Richie’s scintillating tale shows that the very life you run from is the one that won’t let you hide.

Priceless basically tells the story of rich socialite, Charlotte Williams, and how her life is turned upside down when her father is arrested for fraud. With the family home seized, all bank accounts frozen and the paparazzi out to get her, Charlotte flees to stay with her old nanny, Miss Millie, in New Orleans. Charlotte quickly gets to know Miss Millie’s son, Jackson, and the quirky Kat Karraby and her life starts to change.

I found this book to be a nice easy read, if a little predictable in places. I was pleasantly surprised to find the writing good. There were some parts that had a little bit too much description for me. I’m not a big fan of authors overly describing clothing and this book really went to town on this aspect. It did fit with the characters in that both Charlotte and Kat were big into fashion but it did feel like a case of throwing as many designer names as possible into the story and as a result I skipped over some of those parts. There’s some really good dialogue in the book. I particularly loved Kat’s witty quips. One of my favourite bits was a phone conversation between Kat and Tiffanii-with-two-i’s which had me giggling out loud. The characters were likable enough and developed throughout the story, although I did feel that maybe they developed a little too quickly. Within days Charlotte had a job, a new best friend and a boyfriend. I think I would have liked to see her struggle a little more.

Overall, this is an enjoyable enough read if you’re in the mood for a bit of light fun.

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer @ Crazy for Books. It's a chance for book bloggers to connect and share the book love. Check out Crazy for Books (click on the button) for more details and to find the links of some awesome blogs.

This week's question is: What is the one bookish thing you would love to have, no matter the cost?

I'd love to kit my spare room out as a proper library rather than just have my books piled up all over the floor, Throw in a nice comfy chair and I'll be sorted.

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee. Just click on the banner below to see the rules and to join in.

Read My Review is a chance for book bloggers to share new and old reviews, related to a theme. It is hosted here at A Trillian Books. Make sure you leave your Halloween/paranormal themed review links to this weeks post and also visit some of the awesome reviews already there.

It's also Mega Swagbucks day! If you don't use Swagbucks you should give it a try. Just use it to search as you would your usual search engine and you periodically earn swagbucks which can be redeemed for prizes. Currently I average about 2 £5 Amazon gift cards a month just by using swagbucks for some of my internet searching (I don't even use it all the time). Click below to join.

Monday, 25 October 2010

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly event to celebrate what we are reading for the week hosted at Book Journey. Post the books completed last week, the books you're currently reading, and the books to be read this week. Please comment or leave a link to let me know what you're reading this week!

Sunday, 24 October 2010

The Blakes are rather different to your usual neighbours. They are vampires and some of the members of the family date back to the twelfth century. One of the children, Solange, is the only born female vampire known and, as such, she poses a direct threat to the vampire queen. Her best friend Lucy is human, and when Solange is kidnapped Lucy and Solange's brother, Nicholas, set out to save her. Lucy soon discovers that she would like to be more than just friends with Nicholas. But how does one go about dating a vampire? Meanwhile, Solange finds an unlikely ally in Kieran, a vampire slayer on the hunt for his father's killer.

I was really excited about starting this series and I wasn’t disappointed. My Love Lies Bleeding (titled 'Hearts at Stake' in the US) may not be a literary classic but then I wasn’t expecting it to be. It’s a fun, well written vampire book with good characters and believable (so far) vamp lore.

The story is told from alternating points of view of Solange, only daughter of a large vampire family, and her best friend Lucy, daughter of human but sightly odd parents. At the start of the book Solange (who’s name bugged me slightly because I couldn’t pronounce it right in my head lol) is technically human as in this world, born-vampires don’t turn until their sixteenth birthday. For Solange, this is in a few days time so she’s starting to change, becoming more sensitive to the sun and so on (yes, in this series vamps can’t go out in the sun! ... except some of the really old ones who can survive but not really function). Lucy knows all about Solange and her family and ends up staying with them while her own parents are away from home. Lucy finds herself falling for Nicholas, one of Solange’s brothers, who she’d previously thought to be annoying - although it’s clear that it’s a ‘pulling the hair of the girl you like’ kind of situation between them which is cute. Out of the two girls, Lucy’s the one that I liked the most. She’s the fiesty, jump in without thinking kind of girl and in many ways the true heroine of the book. A quote from right at the start of the second book of the series actually sums Lucy up perfectly:

“If there was trouble, she always jumped right in feet first. If she hadn’t started it in the first place, of course.” - Logan Drake

Solange is actually a little bit blah in comparison, but I guess two kick-ass girls would be too much in a book and the contrast between them is what makes it work. And to be fair, she is about to turn into a vampire despite being a bit ‘urgh’ about blood. She’s physically weakening and she’s having to deal with the whole ‘treat to the vampire queen’ thing that comes with being the only known born female vampire.

The second ‘love interest’ in this book is Kieran, a Helios-Ra new recruit and therefore should-be-enemy of the Drake family. Helios-Ra members are essentially vampire hunters so a romance between Solange and Kieran isn’t exactly conventional. I’m looking forward to reading more about this in future books.

There’s lots of action and witty dialogue throughout the book which kept the pages turning quickly. I was a little confused at the start of the book as to who all the characters were; who was a vampire, who wasn’t and so on. In a way though I liked this because it meant there was no long boring explanation to get through. Things were explained as the story went. Solange’s brothers still remained a mystery though, being seven of them. Apart from Nicholas, we don’t get to know the rest of them all that much so sometimes it got a bit confusing. However, I’m sure as the series continues this will get less so.

Recommended for fans of vampire books with a bit of romance and plenty of action. More Buffy than Twilight.

Friday, 22 October 2010

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer @ Crazy for Books. It's a chance for book bloggers to connect and share the book love. Check out Crazy for Books (click on the button) for more details and to find the links of some awesome blogs.

This week's question from Becky @ Becky's Barmy Book Blog is: Where is your favorite place to read? Curled up on the sofa, in bed, in the garden?

I do most of my reading sprawled out on the sofa but I also like to read in bed - especially when it's cold.

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee. Just click on the banner below to see the rules and to join in.

This week's question from Emily @ What Book is That? is: What are you currently reading? Basically, what book is that?

I'm currently reading Blood Feud by Alyxandra Harvey. It's the second of the Drake Chronicles (my review of the first book will be up later tonight or maybe tomorrow. It's vampires and hunters and all that kind of fun.

Read My Review is a chance for book bloggers to share new and old reviews, related to a theme. It is hosted here at A Trillian Books. Make sure you leave your Supernatural themed review links to this weeks post and also visit some of the awesome reviews already there.

It's also Mega Swagbucks day! If you don't use Swagbucks you should give it a try. Just use it to search as you would your usual search engine and you periodically earn swagbucks which can be redeemed for prizes. Currently I average about 2 £5 Amazon gift cards a month just by using swagbucks for some of my internet searching (I don't even use it all the time). Click below to join.

Wednesday, 20 October 2010

When Michaela Anderson signs p for a charity parachute jump, she gets more than a case of vertigo ...

Suffering last-minute panis, Michaela's three colleagues go first. But just as she takes her leap of faith, an almighty gale blows up from nowhere. When she returns to the ground, she finds the airfield deserted, her car gone and the seasons mysteriously changed. Posters nearby proclaim Michaela to have been missing for the last six and a half years ... Everything about her life is completely different.

But Michaela is determined to find out the truth. Was she kidnapped? Is she now suffering amnesia - or has something even more extraordinary occurred? With the help of handsome pilot Matt, Michaela sets out to find the truth. And what she discovers rocks everything she has ever believed in to the core ...

Down To Earth is a unique book with an interesting plot. There's plenty going on throughout the whole book to keep the pages turning. I liked that the reason behind Michaela's disappearance was a mystery to both the characters and the reader. I was pleasantly surprised by the level of detail included - there's a 'science bit' and a couple of other parts, such as when Abbey is using Tarot cards, that were clearly well researched. However, I did feel that maybe the explanations given where a little too much.

While a large part of the book is about Michaela finding out what had happened to her during the time she was missing, there's also a lot of other elements. The story is also about how she adjusts to life six and a half years on. To start with there was a few moments when Michaela was surprised at changes such as the difference in mobile phones and I would have liked to have seen more of this throughout the book. Another big part of the story was the relationships in Michaela's life, how they've changed and how she deals with that.

This book is definitely worth the read and would be particularly enjoyed by fans of Sophie Kinsella, Cecilia Ahern etc.

Read My Review is a chance for book bloggers to share new and old reviews, related to a theme. It is hosted here at A Trillian Books.

What to do:

- Find one of your reviews that fits this weeks theme (it can be a new or old review, good or bad).

- Leave your link with Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post. "Blog Name (Book Title)"

- Visit some of the other reviews and leave a 'quality' comment (a couple of sentences).

- Grab the button and let people know about Read My Review.
- If you have any suggestions/ideas/requests for a future theme, leave a comment.

This week, the theme is:

Romance

It doesn't have to be an actual Romance book as long as there's romance as a fairly main part of the story. The theme stays for a week so you can leave your link any time and don't forget to pop back and check out some more fab reviews.

Monday, 18 October 2010

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly event to celebrate what we are reading for the week hosted at Book Journey. Post the books completed last week, the books you're currently reading, and the books to be read this week. Please comment or leave a link to let me know what you're reading this week!

Completed last week

Urgh, I suck. I didn't actually complete any books this week. I've done a bit of reading and got through most of two books but not quite at the end of either yet lol

Currently Reading

Blood Feud - Alyxandra Harvey
Down to Earth - Melanie RoseCity of Glass - Cassandra Clare (on hold due to lots of review books due soon)Brave New World (on hold due to lots of review books due soon)